The Japan Institute of Electronics packaging (JIEP) was established in 1998 by the merger of the former ¡ºSociety for Hybrid Microelectronics¡± and the former ¡ºJapan Institute for Printed Circuit,¡± and is one of the largest academic societies for electronics packaging technology in Japan. Some 2,400 researchers and engineers, active in the front lines of industry and academia, form a community concerned with packaging technology, one of the core technologies of Japan's electronics industry, and contribute to the advancement of research and development and the training of engineers.